Political Quotes

“higher education in the State of Alabama lost one of its greatest supporters on March 3 when former Alabama State University president Levi Watkins, Sr., died at the age of 83. He served at the helm of Alabama State from 1962 until 1981, a time of both unparalleled turbulence in education as well as dramatic progress. As difficult as these times were for our State and region, he did not see his mission as a burdensome one. In a statement made some 11 years before his death, Watkins said that he had been privileged to be right in the middle of, as he called it, the greatest turmoil in this century. By the time he left 19 years later, Alabama State had become a fully accredited university with 12 new buildings and a dramatically increased student enrollment. During his tenure, he placed a great emphasis on financial accountability, saying at the time of his appointment that he respected the taxpayer's right to get at least a dollar's value on each dollar invested in Alabama State College. Watkins' commitment to total accountability went beyond finances, however. He fought hard for Alabama State and never failed to accept responsibility when things went wrong.”